A bad day and a new beginning
by Neiroel
Summary: Lindariel the healer is having an awful day. Glorfindel finds her, banished from her home and battered by the journey to a new life. Does she have a chance at a new life in Rivendell? Could be kinda AU-ish. Rating just to be sure.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Dear friend, I am sorry it took ages t publish the beginning of this story, I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.

English is not my first language, I apologize for all remaining mistakes.

Enjoy!

Lindariel did not have a great day. No not only that, she had an awful week! The leader of the human village in which she had lived before, had banned her from ever coming back because his young son had almost died under her care. Almost. She had found the cure to the poison of the snake which had bitten the young boy just before it had been too late.

However the village leader wasn't too impressed, no he was angered beyond reason, claiming that she was not good for anything.

Now of course she had to find somewhere new to live. This was why she was walking through the rain, trying to find the right way to an Elvish settlement called 'Rivendell'. She heard of it by bypassing Elves, they said that their Lord was welcoming to any who needed refuge.

Of course, with the streaming rain falling into her eyes, she could not see much. Her clothes and her bag were soaked through which made them truly heavy.

She walked along a raging river, hoping that she would find the settlement before she would run out of food.

Suddenly she slipped on a wet stone, and fell. She expected a hard fall on the sharp rocks on the riverside, she did not expect at all to sink into wet, ice cold water. She was pulled down immediately by her heavy bags, she tried to pull herself up again, grasped at rocks, and grass but to no avail. She couldn't get herself out of the water. She was quickly getting weaker, the edges of her vision were getting dark, her lungs screaming for air.

 **Please, Please** , she thought, **Please, I don't want to die!** And then she fell unconscious.

Glorfindel was just passing the borders of Rivendell, when he heard a loud splash. The last few weeks had been really stressful so he had requested some time for himself. Elrond had happily granted him that time, but now it was time to go back to duty.

After hearing the splash, Glorfindel paused. What was it? Was it an animal who had fallen into the river? He carefully listened to any sound that would hint that someone was in need. He only heard more splashing and then it stopped.

Worried, the elf went to the river to see a person floating in the deep water, it appeared to be a young woman. One of her bag straps had caught in between some rocks, which kept her under the surface.

Glorfindel jumped off his horse and waded into the water, cut the strip and pulled the woman out of the water.

He quickly felt for a pulse and was relieved to feel a weak but steady one. However, she wasn't breathing! Pushing on the middle of her ribcage, 1,2,3,4..30 now the breathing, he opened her mouth, held her nose closed and breathed into her mouth, once, twice.

After Glorfindel had repeated that two times, the young woman coughed and water splattered out of her mouth.

"Careful", said Glorfindel, "You mustn't move, you have been underwater for too long and deprived from oxygen. It is important that you keep still. I will bring you somewhere safe."

Lindariel only groan and closed her eyes. Glorfindel searched for a dry cave while his horse watched over Lindariel. After he had found one and warmed it with a fire, he gently pick Lindariel up and carried her to the cave.

He was not surprised to see, that she was asleep. He sighed, it was better for her to be asleep for this anyway, he did not want her to be embarrassed.

He opened her dress and pulled it off and laid it close to the fire so it would dry quickly. He quickly examined her and found that he had broken at least three of her ribs. That was the price you had to pay when using the technique that he had used: It wasn't a gentle kiss of life, no it was a brutal pull towards life.

He sighed again. There wasn't much that he could do about her ribs now, the most important thing was to keep her warm.

He dressed her in his second change of clothes and waited. He would have taken her to Rivendell, however it was a day ride until they would reach the city and he did not wish for her to be in more pain. Not to mention that the rain would not be good for her health either. Usually elves couldn't get sick, but if they were injured, be it body or soul that is hurt, they can get sick.

Half way through the night however, the Elleth still hadn't stopped shivering and her hands were still too cold. Another alarming sign was that she still had not woken up.

Glorfindel quickly decided that it was time to leave and get her to Elrond. This surely wasn't normal and she needed help quickly.

He packed his bags as fast as he could, and saddled his horse and extinguished the fire before he gathered the young woman in his arms and mounted his horse.

Glorfindel rode as fast as he could. He hoped that he would arrive in Rivendell fast enough to save her life, he didn't know much about healing but he knew, that the Elleth was not healthy.

It was late morning when Glorfindel finally arrived and both, his horse and he were exhausted.

He quickly asked a servant to alert Elrond that his aid was needed. Glorfindel ran to the Halls of Healing.

Elrond was already in the healing room to which he was lead.

"Please put her on the bed so I can examine her.", Elrond said and after Glorfindel had carefully put her on the bed and brushed a stray lock of hair from her face.

Elrond felt for a pulse and was concerned when he felt how cold her skin was and felt even more concerned when he felt the weak pulse.

"What happened exactly?", asked Elrond

"I am not sure, my lord. I was on my way back to Rivendell when I heard a scream. I found her only a few moments later in the river, drowning. She was unconscious when I pulled her out, she also had stopped breathing. When I tried to restore her breathing, I broke a few of her ribs which probably has worsened her condition."

Elrond nodded, as he carefully touched her rib cage.

"Yes you are right, she has got three broken ribs and a severe hypothermia. I will do my best to cure her and I am optimistic that she will be alright soon. However I will need some privacy now. Why don't you go and clean, eat and rest. I will tell you when you can visit her."

"Thank you, my lord.",Glorfindel bowed and left.

It took Elrond a few hours to restore her body temperature to a relatively normal degree and reset her ribs. He pushed her into a healing sleep and left the room to rest as well.

When Lindariel woke, she felt warm and comfortable. She was lying on something soft.. She opened her eyes to see that she was in a bright room with a big window through which soft sunlight was streaming.

"Good evening", someone next to her said.

She turned to her left and saw a blond elf sitting next to her. He had intriguing blue eyes.

"Hello.", she answered quietly.

"My name is Glorfindel, I found you two days ago."

"Thank you, Glorfindel, for saving my life. My name is Lindariel."

"Lindariel? That is a beautiful name. Why were you in the river? I take it that you were not taking a bath; there was really no need to with all this rain pouring down."

Lindariel laughed loudly:

"No I truly did not want to take a bath, I slipped and fell into the river". She yawned widely. She felt very tired again although she had only been awake for a few minutes.

"I think that you should go back to sleep and we'll talk again tomorrow", Glorfindel smiled.

"Yes I think that would be a good idea", Lindariel said and yawned again.

She closed her eyes and fell asleep quickly.

Glorfindel got up and stroked her hair and quietly left the room.

He did not enjoy the evening meal just as much as he usually did, in fact he wished for it to be over quickly so he could end this day.  
Much to Glorfindel's relief, the others did not sees to be in the mood to talk and socialise for long, so dinner was over quickly. He went back to his rooms to rest, tomorrow would be a long day.

Everything was calm and quiet that evening, everyone, but Elrond was in a deep sleep. Elrond himself could not sleep, he was not able to rest, a strong feeling a dread overwhelmed him. Something was in the air, something that he was not able to explain.

He had tried to rest but while his body would lay in the bed, his mind would wander off to stranger thoughts, thoughts of death and fire, thoughts of despair and destruction..

These weren't his usual thoughts of what might happen, these weren't common nightmares. He had the bad feeling that these thoughts were his foresight taking over.

As he could not rest, he thought to make something productive of his time and check on the patients in the Halls of Healing. There usually weren't many in the Halls and it was no difference today, only the young Elleth Glorfindel had rescued and a few travels stayed in the halls at this moment.

Elrond opened the door to the Elleth's room, she was called Lindariel Glorfindel had said, if he recalled correctly.

Lindariel rested comfortably in the soft bed, she sheen of sweat that had covered her forehead was gone she had stopped shivering. One could only noticed that she was not feeling well by he laboured breathing. Her ribs would take time to heal but Elrond was very optimistic that she would recover fully. Glorfindel had been so worried when he had brought her to Elrond. He was feeling so guilty that he had to break the girl's ribs but Elrond reassured him that he did the right thing and ultimately saved her life. Glorfindel did not look completely convinced and he still had that guilty look in his eyes, Elrond however was sure that once the two, Glorfindel and Lindariel would talk to each other, everything would be alright.

Elrond went for a long walk and then went to bed, the walk had exhausted his body enough for it to fall asleep. His mind however was still turning, at the end of the night, his body was rested, his mind however was not. So it was no surprise that he was not in a good mood the next day and could not concentrate on his duties.

Glorfindel however was wide awake, he had woken early, he was looking forward to the day. Not because of the training he had to do, but because of the free time he had after the training. He had to ensure that Lindariel was feeling better. After all he had found her and brought her to Imladris. In a way she was his responsibility.

The training was long and exhausting. Yes it was his responsibility to keep the soldiers and of course himself in shape but that did not mean that he always enjoyed it. It was hard work and especially on days like these, the training seemed to take far too long.

He took extra care while washing after the training, he had to, he had trained harder than usual and had so gotten more dirty. At least that was what he told himself. We he was sure that he was sufficiently washed, he dried himself and got dressed. No he did not ensure that his hair was shining more and he did not dress more elegantly than usual.

Glorfindel skipped lunch and went straight to the halls of healing where Lindariel lay in one of the rooms. He gently knocked at the door and entered after he heard a quiet "come in". Lindariel was sat up in the bed, a book in her hands. Next to the bed was a tray with the remains of a lunch.

"How are you feeling, my lady?", asked Glorfindel. She smiled at him and at that moment she looked more beautiful than anyone Glorfindel had ever seen before and he had seen many women.

"I am feeling better, my lord. Lord Elrond tells me that soon I will be aloud to leave this bed. Oh I am so eager to get up and walk around again!"

Glorfindel laughed quietly: "I am sure that my lord won't be cruel and allow you to explore our beautiful city soon. If you would like, I could be your humble guide."

"I would like that very much, my lord."

Glorfindel smiled at her and she smiled back at him. Glorfindel wanted to ask her about the book, ask her what she was reading but at the very moment he opened his mouth, a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in", Lindariel said for the second time that day. The door opened and Elrond came in. Glorfindel noticed that Elrond looked more tired that usual but he did not chose to comment on it.  
"Glorfindel, it is a surprise to see you here. I was concerned when I did not see you in the Great Hall for lunch but now I understand." Glorfindel smiled, secretly hoping that Elrond would not comment on his appearance. Luckily he did not, he just smiled knowingly and then looked at Lindariel.

"How are you feeling today, my lady? Are you in any pain?"

"Not in much, my lord, thanks to you. I want to thank you for your kindness."

"There is no need to thank me. If you must thank someone, thank Glorfindel. He was the one to safe you after all."

TBC

(Reviews feed the author's motivation)


	2. Chapter 2

There you go, unexpected update!

Enjoy

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She laughed, to Glorfindel the clear, musical laugh sounded like silver bells ringing softly, it was so beautiful.

"Yes you are my hero and I could never thank you enough for saving my life."

\- "No debt is owed. If you want to do anything for me though, it would be for you to be happy here. I am sure you would be granted a place here in Rivendell, I mean if you would like to stay...you haven't even seen the city yet.", embarrassed Glorfindel looked onto the floor and scratched his head.

He felt incredibly nervous in Lindariel's presence, he couldn't explain why!

She laughed again, the sound of her laugh made him forget his embarrassment and filled him with pure joy. A light feeling spread through his entire body and his heart felt like it was going to grow wings and fly out of his body without his permission.

He cleared his throat, embarrassed by his out burst of emotion.

"I, I should go", he coughed, "I promised my men that I'd help with their training today, so I'll see you another time.

He turned to Elrond and bowed: "My lord, please excuse me."

Elrond nodded and smiled: "You shall be excused. Use the time well"

After Glorfindel left, neither commented on how easy it had been to see right through the lie, as Glorfindel had just come from the training grounds.

Elrond continued with the usual medical procedures and shared a short conversation with Lindariel. It was obvious that she was as smitten as Glorfindel.

Elrond was glad that his ling time friend had finally found someone but in the back of his mind he also had a very bad feeling.

It probably was nothing, just a combination of the nightmares from the night before and his ever wary state of mind ever since his own wife, Celebrian had left Middle Earth.

Lindariel did not notice his discomfort or worried demeanour, she was asking questions about Glorfindel, his life in Rivendell and weather he had a family here. Elrond couldn't help but smile at that question. Her intentions were far too obvious for her own good.

Glorfindel was a beautiful man admired by many and had many more suitors, all of which could become very angry once those two would actually get together.

Despite himself he chuckled and answered her question: "The only family Glorfindel has here are his many friends. If you know of his blood line and their history, you know that they have passed away and don't live here."

"But, does he have a lover, wife or someone close to a lover?", she asked with a small voice, suddenly feeling very anxious and out of place. It was definitely the wrong question to ask but she had to know!

"I am afraid that you will have to ask Glorfindel that question, it would not be my place to answer these for you. However if you feel well enough you would be allowed to attend the evening meal in the Great Hall with us. You could talk to him there, if you'd like.", Elrond smiled knowingly when he saw her face light up.

"I shall ask some servants to help you then. I will see you this evening, my lady. Rest well until then."

When he too had left the room, Lindariel laid back into her soft pillows and sighed. She had never been this direct to anyone about anything. Especially not when it came to the matters of the heart! This time however was different. She could feel it! Glorfindel seemed to be someone that she could never let go if he would accept her too. Was it love that she was feeling for him or was gratitude she felt? After all he had saved her life!

Did love at first sight exist, or was there such a thing as soul mates? If there was a certain answer to that, she'd be certain that Glorfindel was hers.

As Elrond had said, servants came to help her wash and get dressed in a simple but still beautiful dress. The dark blue colour made her eyes glow in an alluring way. She proudly looked at her image in the mirror. Her hair had gained back its golden shine and it was falling down her body in beautiful waves.

She felt and looked truly confident now. Hopefully Glorfindel would feel as amazed as she had felt when she first had looked into the mirror.

Elrond was the best healer she had ever met and hoped to learn a lot from him before, or if she ever let Rivendell. Provided of course that he would agree to teach her.

By a coincidence or maybe by clever planning on lord Elrond's side, Lindariel was seated directly next to Glorfindel, but still close to Elrond should she need his aid.

At the dinner she learnt from Glorfindel that, just as Elrond had said, he had no blood relatives in Rivendell. But on top of that she learned that the had no lover and nothing close to it either, which pleased her immensely.

During dessert, Lindariel glanced over at Glorfindel and caught him staring at her. When he saw that he had been discovered, he smiled:

"I was wondering that, if it is allowed by you healer, I might show you the gardens after dinner. I mean if you would like to see them. It is alright if you want to rest instead of going outside..."

"No, no! I would love to go!", she exclaimed, "I mean if it would be allowed of course."

Elrond, who had been discreetly listening smiled and gave them the permission, as long as they did not walk too far and took a lot of breaks in between walking.

The pair promised to be careful and soon stood in the middle of the gardens, surrounded by many beautiful flowers.

"It is so beautiful here", whispered Lindariel, unwilling to destroy the quiet moment they were enjoying.

"I am really glad that you enjoy it here. There always has been something special about these gardens. However now that I am standing in these here with you, they feel so much more special. I hope that this moment never ends.", Glorfindel looked in Lindariel's kind eyes, feeling as if he might lose himself forever in them.

"It doesn't have to end, Glorfindel. We might just stand here for the rest of eternity, enjoying the stars and the garden. I wouldn't mind standing here with you until the ending of the world."

Glorfindel grinned and embraced her lightly, careful not to press down too hard. He would never want to hurt her. Closing his eyes for a short while, he breathed in. The scent of her hair, lavender soap with a slight unidentifiable spice overwhelmed his senses. Whatever it was, it was addicting and he would never get enough of it. Finally he grinned into her hair and said:

"Elrond would not approve. You are hurt and are supposed to rest. Come, I shall bring you back to your rooms."

Over the course of the next months, they got to know each other very well and word began to spread of their new relationship and they're strong love for each other.

It was very uncommon for Elves to fall for anyone this quickly but with just one glance at the two lovers, you could tell that they had been made for each other. They supported each other and balanced the other. While one was really impatient, the other could try to finish a task until they succeeded even if it was to take hours or even days.

Although Elrond still had reservations, he kept them to himself, not wanting to hurt his friend, It was obvious that Glorfindel was so much more happy ever since Lindariel had come into his life.

Lindariel had established herself as Elrond's right hand when it came to the matters of the Halls of Healing and he had taught her much of his knowledge.

She too had become a very good friend.

So when the news spread that Glorfindel had proposed to Lindariel and that there were wedding preparations made, no one was truly surprised. Some had doubts and thought that the entire affair was moving along far too quickly but this did not disturb the two lovers.

They had fallen head over heels for each other ever since they had talked for the first time.

However it took more than fifteen years until the actual wedding was planned, there had been much to do and the Orcs in the Misty Mountains were getting more confident and brutal ever since Thorin and his band of dwarves had disturbed them on their journey to Erebor.

Glorfindel had been sent out often with patrols and it did not seem right to have a wedding in such unsure times.

But then, almost suddenly the Orc activity quieted down and the wedding ceremony was held.

Glorfindel had insisted that they didn't need a big celebration and Lindariel agreed. They did not need to make a big fuss, the most important thing for them was their love and the love of their friends.

At the end of the ceremony, Lindariel stood up before everyone left and cleared her throat:  
"There is an announcement that Glorfindel and I wanted to make before we go on our short journey." Helpless she looked at Glorfindel, who sat next to her. He stood up as well, held her and and said:  
"We are expecting a child!"

Their friends cheered and congratulated. Lindariel however was tired and wanted to leave. She wanted to spend time with her new husband, alone, without anyone being able to disturb them. That was one of the reasons why she wanted to leave Rivendell for a while to go on a month long journey.

The other was that she really did want to see more of the world before they had this child that needed to be taken care of.

The planned trip went well, they had travelled over the Misty Mountains without any troubles and visited Lorien. Lindariel was happy and Glorfindel optimistic that they would make it back home safely. And because the Orcs had been so inactive lately and Lindariel exhausted from the long journey, they decided to camp in a shelter in the Misty Mountains as soon as a snow storm started. Glorfindel had checked the walls for any hidden doors at least twice and did not find any. It was then when they moved to the back of the small cave and stared a small fire. What the could not guess was that a band of Orcs had had the same thought of finding shelter too. What they did not realise soon enough was that the band of Orcs and found the same cave.

* * *

TBC, sorry not sorry


End file.
